Dressed for Time | Spring and Summer Style Tips from a Chicago blogger

Collective Beauty Haul: Birchbox, Ulta, Target

July 20, 2015

I’ve done quite a bit of stocking up in the beauty department these past few weeks, and I must say, I should be set for a while! From Birchbox, I got this lovely collection of summery items, along with some new scents. From Ulta, I restocked my favorite drugstore foundation in it’s new formula, and some new tinted moisturizer from Bare Minerals a brush to apply them all with. Target held for me mostly basics – sunscreen, hand and body wash, and my favorite shave cream. I grabbed a deep metallic gunmetal cream shadow at The Cosmetics Company Store. And surprisingly enough, when I was at Nordstrom rack, I came across this set of 3D liquid shadows from LORAC that I’ve been using almost every day.

From Birchbox, the Lovely Day Set. I waited until I had a 20% off coupon to use, to take off a bit of the sting that comes with the $62 price tag.

Oribe Cote d’ Azur eau de toilette
Tocca fragrance samples
MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Dangerous Cuvee
Juliette Has a Gun Not a Perfume
Not Soap, Radio sample

From Ulta:
Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue in 02
Bare Minerals Smoothing Face Brush
Urban Decay Mascara Resurrection
Maybelline Fit Me! Matte & Poreless Foundation in 115
Maybelline Fit Me! Dewy & Smooth Foundation in 115
(also grabbed some cotton balls and double-ended cotton swabs)

From Target, I grabbed some essentials..
Olay Body Wash (which is going back, it smells like plumeria, yuck!)
EOS Shave Cream
Burt’s Bees Sugar Scrub
Honest Co. Honest Hand Soap
Maybelline Rocket Volum Mascara
Cover Girl Last Blast Fusion Mascara
Pantene Smooth & Sleek Conditioner
Tree Hut Shea Sugar Scrub in Passion Fruit & Guava
Neutrogena Clear Face Sunscreen
Sensodyne Extra White Toothpaste

In LOVE with these LORAC 3D Liquid Lustre eyeshadows I picked up at Nordstrom Rack. They were only $12 and I would have paid that for each one! So good.

Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Picks

July 20, 2015

I’ll be honest, I’ve never really gotten in to the Nordies Anniversary sale, at least not to the level that some shopaholic ladies I know do… This year, however, there were too many good deals to pass up! I had been debating on getting the camel-colored bag since seeing it on Sequins & Thing’s and the many ways that Alyson Haley styled it.
Jewelry, clockwise from left:
Kendra Scott necklace
Kendra Scott cuff
BaubleBar Geometry Set
Kendra Scott cuff
Gorjana bar necklace

Shoes clockwise from top left:
Halogen Olson Pointy Toe Flats x 2
Halogen Olson Pointy Toe Flats – Calf Hair
Jeffrey Campbell Rodillo Hi Wedges

MAC Look in a Box in Pretty Neutral

Accessories from top left:
Street Level Reversible Vegan Tote
Sonix Clear Lolita iPhone 6 Case
Linum Home Textiles Herringbone Throw
Street Level Vegan Leather Bucket Bag

Prices go back up August 3rd so don’t wait too long.
Don’t forget to use ebates for an additional 3% cash back!
😀

Palm Springs Weekend

July 20, 2015

I always like to plan something extra special for my boyfriend’s birthday, and this year something told me to pick Palm Springs! Some may think me crazy, Palm Springs in July, and yes it was hot, but entirely bearable! I wanted to pack a lot in to our two days out there and Mark had a great time, which all I can hope for 🙂

We started the morning off with breakfast at Serrano inside Casino Morongo. I ordered my standard of eggs benedict and it, and the service, were both outstanding.

I basically had to break several traffic laws to make it to the Living Desert to make it in time for the giraffe feeding. I knew it was something we absolutely had to do while out there. We both love animals and are all about the hands-on experiences.

After the zoo, we freshened up a bit and headed to Chi Chi’s at the newly renovated Avalon Hotel, formerly the Viceroy. I was super excited to try out this menu, after looking it over online. We were not disappointed and I would certainly return for the tasty bites and the California-casual chic vibes.

See what I mean? Gorgeous and relaxed. I could spend all day here, lounging around this room, around the pool, etc.

We checked in to our hotel, enjoyed a couples massage, went back to the room to shower and get ready for a lovely dinner at Trio in downtown Palm Springs. We shared a bottle of wine, a couple of entrees and dessert. After all of that indulging, we felt like walking around for a while, and we were in luck, because it was market night! We stopped in to one of my favorite Palm Springs haunts, Las Casuelas, for a round of drinks (for him a classic marg, for me, a Paloma.

I’m sad I didn’t get a better shot of this show-stopper, from designer Gabriela Cadena. It was a tiny but snug up top and around the waist, but the fabric on the bottom was so incredibly gorgeous, I got loads of compliments on it.
Gown – Gabriela Cadena – rented
Bag – vintage
Heels – Gucci

The next morning, we craved nothing more than to sip on a bloody Mary poolside while catching up on some reading.
Sarong – Mara Hoffman from the Box of Style

After that, we packed up, checked out, walked around downtown for a while then sat down for a late lunch at Lulus, another of my must-go-to’s in Palm Springs. Then began the shortish drive back home, but not without a stop at the Desert Hills Premium Outlets, known to locals as Cabazon, where I picked up a few gems at the J.Crew outlet.

Leather envelope bag
Iridescent stone necklace
Jewelry dish
Cuff
Chevron bracelet

I was hoping to find some new skinny jeans for summer, but no such luck.
We were wiped after shopping for a few hours, so we happily headed home where our puppies were waiting for us and we went to sleep at 8:00. Party animals haha.

Simply Stylist – Social Media

July 19, 2015

This post should have been completed long ago, my apologies for not getting it up sooner! I’ve been really enjoying the events being put on by Simply Stylist, ever since attending their Fashion & Beauty Conference earlier this year. Recently I attended the monthly session focusing on social media, hosted by the extremely personable, entertaining and knowledgeable Ashley Torres of Pursuit of Shoes. She touched on every major social channel and how to make the most of each, and got in depth on photo editing. I learned so much and have been implementing these tools every day since! After the session, the boyfriend and I headed to lunch at The Little Next Door, a cute little French place not too far from the Grove, then for shopping at the Santa Monica promenade, and finally, to the Grand Tasting at the Santa Monica Pier.

With our extraordinary guest speaker, Ashley Torres from Pursuit of Shoes.

Dress – Rachel Roy (rented)
Floral bomber – Forever 21
Heels – Matisse Footwear
Clutch – Ela Handbags
Midi rings – Forever 21
Square ring – similar
Pyramid bracelet – Banana Republic – similar
Wire-wrapped bracelet – The Crowned Crane – similar
Cage bracelet – Nectar Clothing – similar
Dragonfly necklace – Kyle Chan Design– similar
Stone necklace – Kyle Chan Design – similar

Near the end of her presentation, Ashley announced that we would be practicing the fine art of the #flatlay. I grabbed a couple of items from TopShop and arranged them with some of the things that I brought with me, to the keep the color palette simple. I didn’t win the contest for “best flatlay” but I was pretty happy with the outcome.

After the session, I met up with Mark and we headed over to The Little Next Door, a casual brasserie located on West Third. I can’t say many good things about the service, which at times ranged from lazy to just plain rude and insulting, HOWEVER, the food was incredible. I would go back for the food alone and just ask for a different server 😉

Ahi tartare with pita slices.

Fresh, crusty bread with olive oil & balsamic, and a cup of carrot ginger soup. Yum.

We had some time to kill after perusing the vendors on the Santa Monica Promenade, so we stopped in to the Ristorante al mar for a couple of cocktails. Not a bad view, right?

After a quick outfit change, I was all ready for the Grand Tasting. Not my favorite dress that I’ve rented from Rent the Runway, but it was perfect for the warmer temperature.
Dress – Badgley Mischka (rented)
White sandals – Steve Madden
Tassel necklace – LA find

After the tasting, we still weren’t feeling satiated, so I hopped on my handy Yelp app and scouted out an awesome spot called Bacaro LA. It was the sweets that we were after, but will absolutely be back to explore the rest of their menu.

Presenting the brown butter cookie dough and homemade bread pudding. OMG yes.

Overall, it was a fantastic day with my love. Improving my craft, enjoying some fantastic food, and taking in the sights with my favorite person.
😀